kind contemplated could possibly be carried out by a single individual, however benevolently disposed, is evidence enough of that person's sagacity and perseverance; but the ordinary difficulties were greatly increased by the circumstances in which this particular parish where Mr. Duncan was located was placed. Few parishes, we are told, presented so many and such unusual obstacles to the progress of a scheme of this kind. Almost every adult member of the parish belonged to some Friendly society, and many of these found it extremely difficult to fulfil their engagements to the established societies. Again, there were few, if any, resident heritors or proprietors of the land to whom Mr. Duncan could look in any difficulty that might arise, or to whom he could look for any assistance of a pecuniary kind. Nevertheless, he resolved to commence. He had arrived at that experience of human kind which made him understand that, in even the poorest family, "there are odds and ends of income which are only too likely to get frittered away in thoughtless extravagance." Could he but induce the mass of the people to comprehend the value of the savings which might by a reasonable economy be gathered from this source alone, and could he succeed in supplying the means of investing these savings securely, affording them at the same time the prospect of a fair rate of interest, not from charity, but from the resources of trade, he was confident the hopes he cherished would be realized.[20] The scheme was started in May, 1810, and savings to the amount of 151_l._ were deposited under the stipulated conditions during the first year. In the two succeeding years they rose to 176_l._ 241_l._ and in 1814 to 922_l._